Extra-double confirmation: Bill Gates not returning as Microsoft CEO

When asked, a number of toptechexecutives have said that Bill Gates sure seems like the man for the CEO job at Microsoft.

But while the public may want him back at Microsoft, it always seemed clear that Gates was perfectly happy to remain at the helm of the Gates Foundation and let someone else take over Steve Ballmer’s job at Microsoft.

Since he had the Microsoft founder cornered at a press briefing prior to a presentation of the Gates Foundation’s Millenium Development Goals at the United Nations in New York, Business Insider’s Jay Yarrow asked Gates whether he plans to return to the chief executive’s office at Microsoft. Gates’s answer was unsurprising.

“No, I ran Microsoft for a period of time. And, now I’m the chairman helping out on a part-time basis,” Gates said.

There it is, folks, straight from the horse’s mouth. Bill Gates isn’t coming back, not even to fire people. So now, let’s take the opportunity to focus on what’s really important: wildly speculating about who else could possibly take over Microsoft.

Blair Hanley Frank is GeekWire's Bay Area Correspondent. He has also worked for Macworld, PCWorld and TechHive. Follow him on Twitter @belril and email him at blair@geekwire.com.